Officer Zhang looked at the priest with an inexplicable expression.


    After a long while, she sneered, "You''re using me as a guinea pig. If Qiuzi had something to say, she would have said it a long time ago."


    Instead ofing to her before and making her wait time and again for the election results.


    Moreover, it had been a while since Qiuzi became a Necrophage, and Lanruo had persisted until today to fully transform. It was unclear what Qiuzi''s current condition was...


    Hearing this, the priest just smiled and said nothing.


    However, tonight was destined to be a sleepless one for several people.


    ...


    In the old urban vige, within the damp and decaying low-rise buildings, the light was dim, and the night was oppressive and thick.


    Xu Shuo did wait seriously for a while, but when Officer Zhang didn''te to get the information from him, he had no choice but to go to sleep disinterestedly.


    Before sleeping, that cold and sticky sense of strangeness appeared again.


    And the feeling became more distinct as time went on. In the darkness, it seemed as if countless eyes were staring at him, and the cold w that had touched the contours of his neck was also discernible.


    Yet his own consciousness was beginning to blur.


    Xu Shuo rubbed his head. This feeling of déjà vu reminded him of the time when his body was upied by Dr. Chu''s personality in thest script.


    It was almost the same sensation.


    It seems that even if a yer enters the body of a character, any injury the character receives is fully reflected in the yer''s consciousness, even if the contamination urred before their possession.


    If in a normal, full-fledged script, a character actually diespletely, and then a yer enters the body, wouldn''t they also die on the spot?!


    Others might not need to consider such problems, but Xu Shuo was a bit worried.


    He hoped that he hadn''t chosen the wrong character this time.


    And he hoped that he wouldn''t choose the wrong character in the future!


    ...


    The next morning, Xu Shuo opened his eyes calmly and first went to the vanity to check his appearance.


    Good lord, was he turning into a zombie or what?!


    Xu Shuo opened the drawer of the vanity and rummaged through it, finding a pair of colored contact lenses.


    Unexpectedly, Qiuzi''s taste was quite unique; these lenses were gold. Xu Shuo looked further and found either red or silver, or even gaudy pink contact lenses.


    He picked a rtively normal pair of silver lenses and put them on. Although the lenses quickly tinted grey, they at least made his almost pitch-ck eyes look a bit more spirited.


    Ah, trying to pass as a normal person every day.


    Xu Shuo dressed in a in white T-shirt with denim jeans, the kind of outfit that would gopletely unnoticed on the street.


    Today was still covered with a drizzling rain.


    However, although it had been raining for several days, and every day there was a filthy little stream coursing down the streets, the city had never reached the point of flooding.


    Yet with the sky never clearing, people''s moods remained suppressed.


    Xu Shuo went to the dance studio by himself today. At eight in the morning, the entire sixth floor was dim, the security guard was nowhere to be seen, only the dance studio was brightly lit.


    Officer Zhang hadn''t turned the lights off when she leftst night.


    Probably around nine o''clock, Xuena also arrived. Seeing Qiuzi practicing alone in front of the mirror, her face looked slightly uneasy.


    She scanned the whole dance studio, which was vast and empty.


    "Why hasn''t Changying arrived yet?" she asked nonchntly.


    "I don''t know, maybe she was traumatizedst night."


    Xu Shuo said casually, spinning slowly in his look. d in a pure white dance attire today, his graceful dancing made him appear even more saintly.


    Xuena cast a nce his way before quickly averting her gaze and walking into the changing room. When she came out after getting dressed, she saw Teacher Changying had also arrived.


    With such a rigid and strict personality, she would surely never bete.


    Teacher Changying still had her cold face, and it was impossible to tell if there was anything amiss from her expression. Her sharp eyes scanned the dance studio before she nced at the clock on the wall, and her face immediately darkened.


    "Lanruo hasn''t arrived?!"


    Xu Shuo turned his head, feigning innocence as he said, "I don''t know, maybe she''s still not feeling well?"


    After all, she hadn''t shown up yesterday afternoon, iming she was feeling unwell.


    Xuena, well aware of the real reason, only showed a fitting look of concern mixed with questioning upon hearing this, choosing not to say anything else.


    Teacher Changying''s face turned incredibly sour, as if she was brewing some sort of Storm, and she took out her phone to call Lanruo, but there was no answer even after it rang for a long time.


    "You''re about to audition for the lead role, and now she''s causing trouble at this critical moment—does she still want to participate?" Teacher Changying


    "Teacher, it''s okay," Xu Shuo chimed in at this point, shing an obedient smile, "I dance better than her~"


    Teacher Changying nced at the delicate girl and then subtly at Xuena not far away, not saying anything but the anger in her seemed to subside a bit.


    At least on the surface, she wasn''t angry anymore and resumed her expressionless facade as she started today''s training after changing clothes.


    The morning passed quickly, and Lanruo still hadn''t shown up; her phone remained unanswered.


    Then, Xu Shuo, who couldn''t seem to dance well no matter what, was as usual scolded by Teacher Changying, her words harsher than before.


    It was as if she was taking out all her anger on him.


    So, during lunch break, Xu Shuo approached Xuena and whispered, "What do you think, if I also disappeared tomorrow, would Teacher Changying explode?"


    Xuena''s eyes widened immediately, and she lowered her voice to respond quickly, "That won''t do! That would startle the snake in the grass!"


    Thepetition was the day after tomorrow. If he disappeared tomorrow, along with Lanruo who obviously wouldn''t return, with three sacrifices suddenly reduced to one at the critical moment, Teacher Changying would definitely explode!


    Though the lead role would most likely fall upon her, before that, she would have to endure the fury of a manipted Teacher Changying!


    "Eh~" Xu Shuoughed and said, "Alright, I was just talking."


    But seeing the sly smile on the girl''s face, Xuena was already prepared—if Qiuzi really didn''t show up the next day, she would also y the disappearing act!


    And to think positively, Qiuzi probably wouldn''t take such a risk.


    After all, they still needed her to appear in the ceremony the day after tomorrow.


    Most likely.


    After thinking it over, Xuena still felt uneasy and said, "Don''t stir up too much trouble these next two days. Those people are now busy dealing with the police and the church; we don''t need to take any risks here, just wait for the day after tomorrow."


    Xu Shuo nodded nomittally and then picked up his phone, saying, "Officer Zhang has invited me to dinner again, do you want toe along?"


    Xuena hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, I have other things to take care of."


    She had to go to the hospital this afternoon as part of her routine.


    However, Xu Shuo gave her a somewhat inscrutable look, asking again, "Are you sure you won''t join us?"


    Xuena refused again and left the dance studio after changing her clothes.


    Xu Shuo didn''t try to persuade her further and lifted the corner of his mouth in a gentle smile. His silver-ck eyesnded on the girl''s departing figure, watching her almost predatorily.


    He had given the opportunity, but she herself chose not to join the organization.